


Perfect Hell

by phantomthief_fee



Series: BATIM Drabbles [8]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Body Horror, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Wally becomes the "perfect" Boris
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-29 13:14:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12631779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: No one was sure what exactly happened to Wally. No one but Joey.





	1. Chapter 1

**[here-comes-fluorite](https://here-comes-fluorite.tumblr.com/) asked: If you're doing fanfic requests rn, can you maybe make one about the headcanon that Wally is the Boris we partner up with in Chapter 3, or Perfect Boris?**

I’m always glad to answer prompts. They keep me writing.

* * *

 

Wally Franks didn’t hate working at Joey Drew studios, even for all his complaining. It was a nice place to work, even though Joey was certifiably insane. The pay was good, the coworkers decent folk, and the work wasn’t too hard. That is, until the ink machine. Once that was in, Wally’s job got a million times worse. It meant Sammy was always on edge too, what with all the bursting pipes and the like. Wally’s natural self-preservation instincts kept him out of the way of danger most of the time, but he’d still been on the receiving end of more than one scolding by Sammy or Joey. The reasons varied. Lost keys, missed ink puddles, flooded offices. He didn’t know why they came to him about flooded offices. Thomas or Murray were the people to talk to. They were mechanics after all. But that was beside the point. The point was, Wally liked the studio. He even liked Joey, to a certain extent.

He liked Joey less, though, once he found out what his boss was actually doing. It had been on one of the last days of the studio. Wally had lost his keys, again, and had been going to finally ‘fess up to his boss about it. Sammy was gone at that point, as were so many of the other employees. The studio was eerily quiet as Wally made his way up the stairs to Joey’s office. The radio was on when he approached the door, but Wally could also hear someone moving in the ink machine room.

“Nope. Nope nope nope nope nope.” Wally shook his head and began backing up. “Not today. Not happening.” He started for the door.

“Wally? Is that you?” Joey’s voice drifted out from the ink machine room. Wally swore under his breath.

“Yeah, boss.” He said, turning back.

“Could you come in here?” Joey asked. “There’s something I need to show you.” Every instinct in Wally’s body was screaming that this was a bad idea. He needed to get out of there. He needed to escape. But he couldn’t just disobey his boss. So he walked to the ink machine room. And there he found a horrifying sight. A real-life version of Boris the wolf strapped to an operating table, his chest pried open and ribs poking into the air. Immediately, Wally tried to run. But Joey grabbed him by the collar, pulling him back with more strength than the man had ever previously possessed.

“Ah ah ah.” Joey clicked his tongue, as if he was speaking to a child. “You’re not getting ‘outta here’ yet, Wally.”

“What the fuck, Drew?!” Wally yelled, still struggling. “What the Hell are you even doing here?!”

“I’m making history, Wally.” Joey said. “And you’re going to help me.” Before Wally could ask how, Joey had clubbed him over the head. Everything went dark.

His mind felt fuzzy. Where was he?  _Who_  was he? He blinked his eyes open, looking blearily around. He was strapped to a table in a room he didn’t recognize. He tried testing his bindings but found them to be extremely sturdy. Okay, so he wasn’t going to be getting out anytime soon. He found himself puzzled. Had he done something to deserve this?

“Ah! You’re awake!” A neat looking dark haired man entered the room, smiling widely. “How are you feeling, Boris?” Boris…was that his name? That didn’t seem right. His name was something else. He was quite sure of it.

“Boris?” The neat man frowned slightly. “Can you speak?”

“Can I get outta here?” His voice was the only thing that felt right. “These things are really chafing.”

“Mm. Not quite perfect, then. We’ll have to work on that voice.” The neat man turned away, scribbling something on a clipboard. Boris frowned. His voice was just fine.

“What are you talking about? My voice’s fine.”

“It’s not.” The neat man’s voice grew more forceful. “It’s not the right voice for Boris.”

“But it’s the right voice for  _me_.”

The neat man whirled around, slamming his hands on the operating table. There was a wild look in his eyes.

“You are Boris.” He said. “You are not Wally Franks.” Wally Franks. Yes! That was his name! That was his real name! Wally began to struggle against his bonds. He was Wally Franks! But, at the same time, he was Boris the wolf too. He was both and neither at the same time, and it was maddening. Now he knew who the neat man was.

“We’ll have to work on that.” Joey Drew pulled away, going to the door.

“Can you let me go?” Boris asked, his voice becoming deeper and gruffer. Joey stopped, turning quickly.

“Yes! That’s right! That’s it!” He said, beginning to undo the cuffs binding the wolf. “That’s perfect!” Boris rubbed his wrists. He had to hide from Joey. So when the man left, the toon wolf disappeared into the bowels of the studio. No doubt Joey had done this sort of thing to others in the studio. He had to do something, he had to help them. Wally himself wanted nothing to do with this, but Boris, ever faithful and dogged, was determined to help. There was nothing he could do to help Sammy when the time came, and “Alice” wanted nothing to do with him. But Henry…Henry he could help. When the former animator came to his level, Boris took him to his safehouse, accompanied him on his journey. He did whatever he could to make things easier for Henry. He had to. No one deserved his fate.  


	2. Chapter 2

**[the-magainita](http://the-magainita.tumblr.com/) asked: If you still have writing prompts open can you please write one about Boris and Henry's first actual reaction to one another and the time they spent together right before Ch.3 starts? Did they freak out? Were they chill? How did they first reach the Safehouse? That kind of thing.**

Sorry this took so long. I really did like this idea. 

* * *

 

Henry’s first thought upon encountering Boris was ‘thank god, someone sane’. Boris, even in the cartoons, wasn’t a violent character. He was the straight man for Bendy’s antics, the more grounded, yet slightly oblivious, foil. They’d always joked that Boris was a big puppy. Boris had always been Henry’s favorite character. He loved all his creations, they were like his children, but he loved working on Boris. He loved drawing the wolf, thinking of storylines. He’d compared Boris to himself as well. Boris and Bendy had a similar relationship to Henry and Joey after all. Joey and Bendy were the ones who came up with all these ideas, while Boris and Henry simply followed along. This Boris looked very friendly, with a big smile on his face. Boris’ face lit up when he saw Henry, and he swept the man up in a big hug, swinging him around before putting him down.

“You’re a lot nicer than the others I’ve met.” Henry laughed, patting Boris’ head. It was a little hard, given how tiny Henry was and how tall Boris was. Boris didn’t have a tail to wag, but if he did Henry imagined it would be wagging. God, it was so good to see another friendly face. After Sammy, Henry had almost given up hope he’d see anyone remotely normal. A living, breathing cartoon wasn’t normal, but it was better than a crazed cultist.

“Were you looking for me, buddy?” Henry asked. Boris nodded. Henry smiled slightly. So he had one ally in this. At this point, he wasn’t even surprised at seeing a living, breathing Boris. He’d seen a dead one upstairs after all. Boris gently took his arm and started tugging at it.

“Do you want to show me something?”

Boris nodded, beginning to tug a little harder. He whined slightly, making puppy eyes. Henry smiled and shook his head.

“Alright, show me.”

Boris led Henry down a hallway that was surprisingly clean. There were no cobwebs and very few ink puddles. It looked as though someone had been cleaning.

“Do you live down here?” Henry asked, gently wrenching his hand Boris’ grasp. The wolf nodded, glancing back at Henry with a goofy grin.

“Can you talk?”

Boris shook his head. Alright, so this was going to be a bit of a one-sided conversation for a while. Well, it wouldn’t be any different from his normal conversations with Boris. Henry talked to his cartoons while drawing, something the other members of the studio found a little odd. Henry shook his head quickly to put the thought from his mind. It had been pretty embarrassing when his coworkers had walked in on him literally talking to himself.

“Hey, where are we going, buddy?” Henry asked as they descended some stairs.

“Safe.” Boris turned for a moment and quickly signed the world. Henry was floored. The wolf knew sign language somehow?

“So…Someplace safe?”

Boris nodded, starting to walk again. So they went down a few flights of stairs, coming out in what was probably the bowels of the studio. How the Hell had Joey made the studio this freaking big? The two stopped outside a large mechanical looking door.

“So this is the safe place?”

Boris nodded and pushed the door open, ushering Henry inside. Once they were in, Boris closed the door, removing a level to the side which opened the door. The safehouse, that was what Henry was calling it now, was…cozy. There was a table pushed to the side, covered in cards, right next to a wood burning stove. He could see a little bathroom further in and could hear the telltale ticking of a clock.

“Safe here.” Boris said. “With me.”

“Thanks, buddy.” Henry smiled and patted Boris’ back.

.

They spent a few days just staying in the safe house. Henry collapsed onto a cot Boris had set up in his little bedroom and slept for at least a day. He needed to recover after all the shit he’d gone through. Boris, not needing to sleep, let Henry rest for as long as he needed. When Henry woke up, Boris had bacon soup and a card game waiting for him. Henry, of course, loved bacon soup and was all too glad to eat the provided soup. Playing cards with Boris was somehow familiar. It reminded him of the few time Wally had roped him into playing cards with him.

“You’re not too bad at this.” Henry said, putting down his cards and marking down Boris’ victory. They were fairly evenly matched. Boris just smiled and shuffled the cards.

“You too.” He said, dealing another hand.

“Y’know, this kind of reminds me of being back in the studio.” Henry picked up his cards and looked them over. Boris tilted his head to the side. Henry laughed.

“The janitor, Wally, he used to drag me into playing games with him whenever I was working too hard.” Henry explained, laying down a card. “He was a bit of a goofball, but I think he really cared about everyone here. He wanted us all to be happy. Always tried to cheer us up when we were feeling down. I…I hope he’s alright.” Boris’ expression turned almost mournful.

“What’s wrong, big guy?” Henry forced himself to smile. “You didn’t see Wally down here, did you?” Boris shook his head, beginning to scribble something on a piece of paper, which he then held up,

“He hasn’t been here in a long time.” Then Boris threw the paper into the fire, hunkering down behind his cards. Henry frowned slightly. Well, that had been strange. He glanced back at the door. He was going to have to leave here at some point. He needed to get out of here. He needed to get home. And he was bringing Boris with him.


	3. Perfection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into why Boris is mute

Inspired by [this](http://adobe-outdesign.tumblr.com/post/168974648104/you-know-boris-lack-of-voice-is-kind-of) post by [@adobe-outdesign](https://tmblr.co/m3lz3c0dRsTEekmX4FOozIA)  

 

* * *

It wasn’t perfect. It had to be perfect. This Boris was so almost perfect, but it could be better. He had to be better. The Boris beneath Joey strained against his bindings, crying out and pleading with the voice of Wally Franks.

“Please, I’m sorry!” He begged. “I’ll be good! I will!”

“This isn’t punishment.” Joey said, his voice kind and soothing as he brandished the knife. “You didn’t do anything wrong, my dear Boris. I just want to make you perfect. Don’t you want to be perfect? Don’t you want me to be happy.”

“I don’t wanna lose my voice!” Boris sobbed. Joey’s smile widened, almost dementedly so.

“But my dear child, this needs to happen.” Then he plunged the knife into the toon’s neck. Boris writhed under Joey’s hands. He screamed at the top of his lungs, but that wouldn’t last for long. Joey cut a slit in Boris’ throat, his hands already growing slick with the toon’s black blood. The creator hummed to himself as he stretched the slit wider. He stuck his hand in, digging around until he located the vocal cords. Almost immediately, Boris’ screaming was muffled.

“Stay still.” Joey said. “This is going to hurt.” Boris stopped screaming, staring up at Joey in horror. Joey was almost irritated. Why couldn’t Boris understand? This was for his own good. He was going to be perfect. Joey picked up the knife again and set to work removing the vocal cords. Boris started screaming again. Or, at least, he tried to. Without his voice box, he wasn’t able to do much more than make little noises. Joey withdrew the toon’s voice box and smiled.

“There. That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” He said, patted Boris’ head. “Now we just need to patch you up.” He grabbed some thread and a needle, beginning to stick up the torn muscle and skin. Boris made small distressed noises, twitching and continuing to cry.

“Now…Now you’re perfect.” Joey spread his hands wide. “Aren’t you happy?” Boris neither shook his head nor nodded, just laying there whimpering. Joey was so happy. He’d done it. Boris was perfect.  


	4. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry realizes what happened to Wally

Henry’s realization of just what had happened to Wally Franks came slowly. It started with little things. The way Boris hunched behind his cards when they were playing poker, his little doodles on the score sheet, the look he’d get on his face when he was fixing the sink, when he’d crawled into the vent to open the door...They were all so reminiscent of Wally. Painfully so. At first, he thought that it couldn’t possibly be Wally. People didn’t just turn into toons. It just didn’t happen. But, at the same time, Sammy and Susie had been turned into inky abominations. So it was certainly possible that Boris was actually Wally Franks. Still, Henry didn’t want to think of Wally suffering the same fate as the Boris he’d seen strapped to the table on the upper floors. He didn’t want to think of Joey doing that sort of thing either. The proof was right in front of his eyes, though. 

Henry didn’t get proof until later, though. Until after he’d met “Alice”. As he exited Alice’s chamber and made his way across the boards back to the exit, he found Boris staring at a dead Boris clone tied to a slab. 

“You okay, buddy?” Henry asked, putting a hand on Boris’ shoulder. The wolf hesitated for a moment before nodding. 

“You sure?” 

Boris nodded again, turning and leaving the room as quickly as he could. Henry frowned. He could tell Boris absolutely wasn’t okay. He followed after the wolf, disregarding Alice’s voice. She was demanding he get her some kind of parts for her machine. He didn’t care at the moment. 

“Hey, buddy.” He caught Boris’ shoulder, dragging him back. “If you’re not okay, you can tell me. I want to help you.” Boris’ ears flattened against his head and he fidgeted. 

“I don’t like seeing the bodies.” He finally said, his hands shaking as he signed. “They’re me, but they’re not me too.” Boris paused, his face screwing up in frustration. He seemed to be having a bit of trouble explaining his feelings.

“It’s complicated, I know.” Henry nodded. “Um...Hey. I have something I need to ask you.” 

“What?” Boris asked slowly. 

“Are you Wally?” Henry spat it out as quickly as he could, lest he lose his nerve. Boris stared at him, fear evident in his eyes. He started shaking, hands going to his head to pull at his ears as he dropped to the floor. What struck Henry was that there was no whimpering. Boris was obviously trying to make that sound, but it just wasn’t coming out. Henry had known men who’d had their vocal cords removed who made noises similar to that. He could feel his stomach beginning to drop. 

“Joey you fucker.” He muttered, kneeling beside the wolf. He could clearly see the scar on the wolf’s neck now. 

“Not Wally,” Boris said. “Not Boris. It hurts.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Henry switched to father mode, stroking the wolf’s head. “It’s going to be okay, I promise. I’ll get you out of here.”


	5. Chapter 5

Henry’s question had brought back all the existential terror Boris had felt since his creation. He wasn’t Wally, but he wasn’t Boris either. Henry lead him back to the elevator and just sat with him for a few minutes, rubbing his back and whispering comforting words. Boris stayed in the elevator while Henry completed the tasks given to him by Alice. He tried to get himself back together during this time. He was mostly okay by the time Alice let them ‘ascend’. This quickly changed, though, then Alice made the elevator plummet, screaming about how she needed Boris’ insides to be perfect. He’d gotten even more upset as Alice dragged him away from the unconscious Henry. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t be going through this again. He panicked as Alice strapped him to the table. She’d strapped his hands to his sides, so he couldn’t sign. He couldn’t reach out to Susie or Allison, both of whom were probably in the same position he was. 

“What are you trying to do?” Alice sneered. “Just use your words.” He made rough gasping noises, trying to point to his neck so she’d know he couldn’t talk. 

“If you have something to say, just say it!” Alice stamped her foot. “You’re so infuriating!” He whimpered, drawing back at her harsh words. Alice narrowed her eyes, leaning closer. 

“Your voice...He took it from you, didn’t he?” For a moment, her voice was almost gentle. Then she drew back. “You weren’t perfect enough, were you?” Boris nodded dejectedly. 

“Well, you’re perfect enough to make  _ me _ perfect.” She said. “You should be glad your existence has a purpose. It’s better than hiding away in your silly little room, isn’t it?” He just hung his head, staring at the ground. The Wally portion of him had memories of Susie being kind to him sometimes. She had been a bit of a diva, but she’d never made his job any harder than it had to be. A few times she’d even offered him a handkerchief. It was hard to believe that this thing was even partially her. 

“I have to be perfect.” Alice said, staring off into the distance. “I am Alice Angel. I will be perfect.” 

_ I shoulda left when I had the chance.  _ Wally’s voice groused in the back of Boris’ mind. Boris shook his head, beginning to hyperventilate. No, he was Boris. He had to be Boris. Joey had taken away his voice so he’d be perfect, so he had to be perfect now. He was perfect, wasn’t he? If Alice wanted his insides to make herself perfect, then he had to be perfect, right? He watched Alice begin preparations to cut him open. For a moment, it wasn’t Alice standing there, it was Joey.

_ I just want to make you perfect. Don’t you want to be perfect? Don’t you want me to be happy? _

He could feel his breathing beginning to speed up again. He began to struggle, desperate to get away. He didn’t want to be cut open. Not again. 

“Be still!” Alice snapped, whirling around. “I will hurt you if I need to.” Boris stopped struggling, whimpering again. 

“You’re pathetic.” Alice said. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” She said in a softer voice. “I don’t want to do this.” 

“But it must be done.” She returned to her deeper voice. “I must be perfect. I’ll show him. I’ll show him I  **am** Alice Angel!”

Joey’d fucked all of them up, hadn’t he? If he hadn’t been so scared, he might have felt bad for her. Boris craned his head so he could see the door. He just hoped Henry was alright. He needed help more than ever. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I apologize in advance for this.

He drifted in and out of consciousness as Alice began to take him apart. It was easier that way. If he didn’t pay attention, he didn’t have to relive the horrible experience of having his insides rearranged again. She’d wrenched open his chest and dug around until she found his heart. She hadn’t removed it, though, as he’d expected she would.

“I could just take what I need now and kill you.” She purred. “But that wouldn’t be any fun, would it? Why don’t we give you a little makeover, my dear Boris?” That was when he started drifting. Sometimes he’d wake up to her humming the way Susie used to. He whined weakly, trying to reach out for her. For a moment, the woman who had once been Susie Campbell seemed to peek through. She touched his hand gently, her severe expression softening. Then her face twisted into a mask of righteous fury and she slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch me.” She hissed.

 _Susie…Why?_ Wally’s voice echoed in Boris’ mind. He could feel the former janitor’s pain at being betrayed by someone he’d once trusted. Wally had never been particularly close to Susie, but the two of them had interacted to a certain extent. He’d always thought she was a swell gal. Until she’d lost her role, that was.

“You should be thanking me.” Alice purred as she shoved a metal collar over his head. “I’m going to make you something wonderful.”

 _Now you’re perfect. Aren’t you happy?_ He whimpered at the memory of Joey’s voice. Henry had given him a bone when they’d left the safehouse and he clung to it now, refusing to let go of it no matter how hard Alice tried to wrench it from his mouth. Eventually, she just gave up, crossing the room with a syringe full of extra thick ink, the kind she’d had Henry collect. Boris didn’t even have the energy to fight back anymore. He just laid there as she injected syringe after syringe into him. He felt bloated and his mind was fuzzy. Thinking was getting hard. No! He had to remember Henry. He had to stay sane. Alice hummed to herself, the sound almost maniacal.

 _I don’t wanna die! Not again!_ Wally’s voice was much weaker now, only popping up when Alice stuck a pipe into his shoulder or grazed a rib. Wally’s voice stopped entirely when Alice removed the heart. She stared down at it admiringly, turning it over in her hands. Boris growled. He couldn’t think. Everything hurt. But he had a bone. Why was he holding onto the bone?  

“Ssh.” Alice put a finger on his muzzle. “You’re going to be visiting an old friend soon.” An old friend? He didn’t have any friends, did he?

“He let this happen to you, Boris.” Alice stroked the side of his face. “Aren’t you angry?” He _was_ angry. He was furious in fact. Everything hurt. Alice giggled and unstrapped him from the table, setting him loose in a haunted house. A cart was headed towards him and he attacked indiscriminately. He didn’t even register the person before him. All he felt was anger. He hurt so he wanted everyone else to hurt. He didn’t care who was in his way. Until his opponent defeated him, that was. He fell to the ground, groaning loudly. His opponent stood above him, shoulders heaving with the effort it had taken to bring him down. He stared up into a pair of wide blue eyes and for the first time in a long time, felt safe. He smiled to himself. As he returned to the ink, he felt warm. At least Henry was alright.


	7. Author's Note

So, now that Chapter 5 has come out, this whole thing has been disproven, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. 


End file.
